Entertainment in Indonesia
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Mungil Steak House
This log cabin bills itself as a ‘steak house’ for some bizarre reason, but it works much better as a bar (the food here – mains are 12,000Rp to 50,000Rp – is greasy and takes hours to arrive). As well as beer it sell jugs of arak, and the sea views are top-drawer.
reviewed
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Eastern Promise
A classic British-style pub in the heart of Kemang, with a pool table, a welcoming atmosphere and filling Western and Indian grub. Service is prompt and friendly, the beer’s cold and there’s live music on weekends. It’s a key expat hang-out.
reviewed
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De Coffee House
Smart new cafe with stylish decor and a long long list of coffees (including Irish, hazelnut-flavoured and cappuccino), though most of the prices are absurd. Food including omelettes are also available.
reviewed
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Napi Orti
This upstairs place is your best bet for a late night drink. Get boozy under the hazy gaze of Jim Morrison and Sid Vicious.
reviewed
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A
Face Bar
Part of the Lan Na Thai, Hazara and El Wajh venue, this hip lounge bar has plenty of subdued reds and dark woods.
reviewed
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B
Café Batavia
The place for a cocktail or just a cool Bintang in north Jakarta.
reviewed
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Jazz Café
Always popular, Jazz Café has a relaxed vibe in a garden of coconut palms and ferns. It offers good Asian fusion food (mains 35,000Rp to 60,000Rp) and live jazz in various forms, blues and more, Tuesday to Saturday from 7.30pm. The cocktail list is long. It provides transport around Ubud.
reviewed
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C
Kantin 21
Funky open-air place where you can watch traffic by day and groove to acoustic guitar or garage-band rock by night. There's a long drinks list (jugs of Long Island iced tea for 75,000Rp), fresh juices and a few local snacks.
reviewed
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Dance Performances
In a week in Ubud, you can see Kecak, Legong and Barong dances, Mahabharata and Ramayana ballets, wayang kulit puppets and gamelan orchestras. Ubud Tourist Information has performance information and sells tickets (usually Rp50000). For performances outside Ubud, transport is often included in the price. Tickets are also sold at many hotels, and by street vendors who hang around outside Ubud Palace - all charge the same price as the tourist office.
Vendors sell drinks at the performances, which typically last about one to 1½ hours. Before the show, you might notice the musicians checking out the size of the crowd - ticket sales fund the troupes. Also watch for potential…
reviewed
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D
Stadium
The big daddy of Jakarta’s scene, this club has the heritage (established in 1997), the reputation (DJs including Sasha and Dave Seaman have spun here), the capacity (around 4000), the sound system and the crowd. There are four levels, but the main room is where the prime dance-floor action is – a dark, cavernous space of pounding beats full of clubbers in sunglasses. This ain’t no disco – alcohol is not the drug of choice, and Stadium has a distinctly underground vibe. Its weekend session is totally hardcore – beginning on Thursday evening and running until Monday morning.
reviewed
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E
Colors
Colors is a small venue that's big on live music. The bartenders and some locals will treat you like a long-lost cousin, and if you turn up early enough, you may get the chance to perform some karaoke with live backing. Bands play nightly until 02:00. If you're looking for cheap drinks, a chat with Surabayans and some quality live music, don't pass this place up.
reviewed
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Tabac
Perhaps Jakarta’s most unusual bar; the lobby to this place is actually a cigar store, and the bar is located behind a secret entrance (hint: push the door of the telephone kiosk). Inside it’s like a private club, all wood panelling and comfortable seating. Pricey (a small Bintang is 40,000Rp) and draws a good mix of locals and expats.
reviewed
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M Club
On the edge of town, this warehouse club is one of biggest in Sulawesi. The music is tech-no prisoners and the lighting strobe-heavy, but if you want the Makassar experience, this is an essential stop. Foreigners often get in free. It's on the east side of town - all taxi drivers know the place. A taxi there should cost about Rp25,000.
reviewed
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Kenyah Dayak Ceremonies
Every Sunday, Pampang has Kenyah Dayak ceremonies at its longhouse. These are not made-for-tourist performances, and rituals are relatively unadulterated. Offer a small donation for snapping photographs. Public minibuses to Pampang leave from Segiri terminal. Chartering a taxi or Kijang with other travellers is an alternative.
reviewed
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Melly’s
The best bet in the Jaksa area for a couple of drinks, this quirky little place attracts a good mix of locals and Westerners, has cheap snacks and beer (a large Bintang is 22,000Rp), and plenty of loungy sitting areas. It’s open-sided (so it doesn’t get too smoky) and there’s a popular quiz here every Wednesday.
reviewed
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Bakoel Koffie
Occupying a fine old Dutch building, this is a really relaxed and atmospheric cafe, with vintage furniture, art on the walls and lots of little corners with Jakartan professionals tapping away on their laptops. Only the finest beans from Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra are used, and snacks and cakes are served.
reviewed
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Hard Rock Cafe
A merchandising outlet disguised as a nightclub, the sprawling Hard Rock fronts the beach and is a magnet for local yuppies. It gets going after 23:00, when a (usually) slick band plays classic rock covers. It's also a venue for occasional overseas artists such as Deviate from the Philippines.
reviewed
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F
Fuel
This is one of the few places in Kuta in which Seminyak residents will deign to be seen. It's hip and urban, with warm red-and-black decor, white trim and art installations. It has DJs every night and a chill-out lounge upstairs with a terrace overlooking the street. Fuel picks up around 22:00.
reviewed
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G
Bugils
Bugils (an abbreviation of Bule Gila - crazy Westerner) in Taman Ria Senayan is packed with expats. There are tables outside and a pub atmosphere inside. Dutch beer comes as standard and the pommes frites are served in little plastic containers with mayonnaise, Amsterdam-style.
reviewed
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H
Ha Ha Café
The leading club in town, this place is on the top floor of the Mega Mall. It is so vast that it looks like an aircraft hangar and only really fills up on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Once the smuggled flasks of Cap Tikus are drained, the crowds loosen up and mob the dance floor.
reviewed
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Rumentang Siang
Bandung’s premier performing arts centre, where wayang golek, Jaipongan (West Javanese dance), pencak silat (the art of self-defence), Sandiwara (traditional Javanese theatre) and ketoprak (popular Javanese folk theatre) performances are held.
reviewed
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Saung Angklung
Saung Angklung Angklung (bamboo musical instrument) performances take place at Pak Ujo's Saung Angklung, east of the city on the way to the Cicaheum bus terminal. You can also see the instruments being made here. Performances are held most afternoons at 15:30.
reviewed
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J
Triple 9
It's almost too appropriate: an oldies bar with sleepy crooners from the 1950s lilting out from the sound system. This attractive open-sided cafe boasts that you can hear conversations and, yes, you can. Or be a grump and use the wi-fi (every table has a power point).
reviewed
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K
Ballairate Sunset Bar
Built on stilts over the sea, this is the best located bar in town. Walk right through the hotel to discover draft Bintang by the pitcher and a perfect view of the sunset. Sundays are a bad idea as the Makassar jet-ski crowd strut their stuff on the water here.
reviewed
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L
Red Square
A hip, lively and fashionable vodka bar, Red Square has floor-to-ceiling stocks of Russia’s favourite tipple. It even has a walk-in freezer for knocking back slammers. There’s hip electronic music in the early evening and harder progressive house later on.
reviewed